Stathis’ light reflected off something ahead of them that was resting on the ground. She immediately covered the glowing pebble with a hand, plunging the area into dim light, sunlight coming from somewhere distant and above them, a crack far too narrow to climb through. She froze and nodded at Dorothea, who advanced, weapon in hand, pausing at each of the passageways and checking them, just in case of another attacker.

She managed to make it to whatever it was without interruption, nodding at Stathis to show she could advance safely. As quietly as she could, Stathis moved forward until she was stood next to Dorothea, letting the light from the pebble shine out onto the thing.

It was a dagger, bright and shiny, looking freshly made, the edge well-honed. The pommel was overly gaudy, with a red gem dappling the light a bloody hue. Dorothea gave a low sigh and shifted her grip, her head tilted in a lazy slump, jaw slack. She gave a soft moan, eyes unfocused as she raised the weapon.

Stathis grabbed her arm and twisted, straining at Dorothea’s grip and easily wrenching the weapon from her grip so it clattered to the floor. She then shoved Dorothea against the wall, keeping her grip tight in case Dorothea tried to fight back.

‘Can you hear me? You have to fight it!’

‘Oof! Oww, I was joking! Glad to know you were paying attention during at least some of your lessons.’

Stathis kept her grip tight, just in case it was a trick, looking into Dorothea’s eyes. ‘What’s your name?’

‘It would be… easier to talk if… you weren’t quite so… strong! Dorothea Arnualt.’ She stared back into Stathis’ eyes, eyes clear now and not fighting back, arms limp. ‘You’re not normally… so assertive…’ Her face was red, although that was probably from having difficulties breathing. ‘It’s not… magical, even, I… think.’

Stathis let her go, keeping a careful eye on her in case Dorothea suddenly grew fangs or moved to attack, taking several swift steps backwards, kicking the dagger against the wall, keeping it away from Dorothea. Then she carefully picked it up herself, keeping her grip loose in case it tried to control her.

Nothing happened. Dorothea looked at her and smiled. ‘See? Although I recognise the weapon, but I’ve no idea how it ended up down here.’ She pointed at the hilt, the sturdy metal ornamented with some useless twists and frills of metal, that would break off if the thing were ever used to parry any attacks. ‘Other side.’

Stathis flipped the knife over – on the other side, in the centre of the cross-guard, was a fiddly design, several heraldic patterns all running into each other, the fine details probably impossible to make out even in good light, never mind down here.

‘Duke Molinbra?’ They both groaned.

‘Only he would bother putting so much detail onto it. Or bother caring about that many ancestors, to make up for how rubbish he is in person.’

‘So what’s it doing down here?’

Stathis looked around – there had been a few cracks, but they had been narrow enough it seemed unlikely anything would be able to fall through, especially without getting damaged and scratched. This looked brand new, barely used and far too clean, without any scuff-marks or damage.

‘He was mouthing off again recently, before your mother gave him some busywork to keep him out of the way. We should be careful. You want it?’ Stathis offered it back to Dorothea.

‘Bit gaudy for me. And you need a weapon for if your current one breaks. Not sure how much more it can take.’

Stathis tested the edge – despite the fripperies on the hilt, it was a well-made weapon, even if too short for actual combat. Still, if her sword broke, then it would be better than fists!

She could see that Dorothea was starting to tire, her footsteps dragging. She spent far too much time doing political things around the place rather than training! Although she was still better than most of the other courtiers. If they didn’t find a way out soon, then they would have to turn back – it would take ages to get out again, but better that being stuck down here overnight. Although Mother would probably have the place thoroughly searched a long time before then and find them. She’d rather make it out under her own power, rather than be found by group of soldiers and carried back.

She felt a movement in the air, pausing and then taking a deep breath, almost sneezing at the acrid scent. There must be something close by. And as well as the odour, there was the more normal scent of fresher air underlying it. When she covered her glowing stone, she could see that there was other light, what looked like actual sunlight, coming from somewhere ahead. She could feel a slight breeze, warmer air blowing down the passage.

When they turned the next corner, the source of the air was obvious – the tunnel opened up into a cave that must have been open to the air, the rock overgrown with grass and moss. And something was shining amongst the rough grass. The scent was stronger though, and she could make out strangely mottled discolorations amongst the grass, between light brown stones, in broken curved shapes.

They moved to the edge of the passageway, both sticking close to the stone. The glinting stuff was easier to see now – gold, glinting amongst the scrubby grass. She looked around carefully, but there was no sign of any foes. Stathis waited for a long breath before moving out, glad to be back in sunlight. Water trickled through down from above, an irregular waterfall cascading downwards, and there was a single tunnel on the other side leading onwards. From here, she could fly out though, shortcutting any further explorations. Carissia was probably still somewhere around, or beneath, but she could sort herself out.

She scooped her hand through the gold, grabbing up a pile of mismatched coins – they looked old and worn and scratched, but were very clean and shiny, except for the weedy grass trying to grow around them.

‘What’s it doing here?’ Dorothea cautiously probed the pile with her dagger, flicking coins aside, nothing but dirt beneath. ‘This doesn’t look like it was a treasure vault or anything. It’s too open and undefended. Although those walls are carved.’

The shapes were largely obscured beneath growth, and misshapen by erosion, but Stathis could make out roughly draconic shapes – snouts and fangs and wings, the suggestion of serpentine curves linking them. Her eyes started to pick out the shapes beneath the vines and moss, swells and curves of a tail, or a fanged snout. But they were all damaged and worn – they were probably just statues, entirely mundane, and if they were petrified monsters, they were likely too damaged to turn back.

Stathis took another handful of gold, looking at the worn-down patterns. Nothing she recognised, but it was nice to have it in her hands.

Dorothea picked up a coin herself, looking at it before flipping it into the air and catching it. ‘Why do you even need it? You’re not poor.’

‘I’d rather make money myself, not just be given it. Or at least earn it – it’s not like I do much work as a duchess, I don’t think I deserve being paid for it! I’ve only ever been there twice. And one of those times got interrupted by demon-cultists, so shouldn’t really count.’

‘Well, this will be a nice bonus. Looks like a good haul. And what’s that?’ She bent down and picked something up from amongst the coins – it was a sword, the metal shining bright, the hilt sized for using one- or two-handed, the leather grip long gone but the blade still looked sharp.

An updraught stirred the air, grasses bending as a wind whipped up. Stathis raised her arms to cover her eyes, the sun getting covered for a moment. She looked up and got a vision of scales and wings, a serpentine shape and wings above them. Air buffeted against her as it screeched.

It was a larger version of the wyvern they had defeated before. As it flapped its wings to land, Stathis saw quite how much larger it was – in the narrow confines of the area, it couldn’t extend its wings fully, or move much in the air, but the body was larger than the size of a horse. It landed with an awkward waddle, having to use its wings to balance itself, screeching again. The stinger-tail rose up, appearing above its triangular head, already dripping with acid. It raised its neck, head suddenly darting forward, knife-length fangs snapping shut. Stathis managed to flick her sword up in time and flick the brunt of the impact away, but felt her sword snap, the blade crunching under the impact, weapon barely holding together.

She flicked her wrists, managing to strike against the scaly neck. She couldn’t tell if the attack had had any effect, didn’t have time to think before the tail jabbed forward, a spurt of acid flying out. She dodged, and it splashed against a wall, the plants turning brown under the effects of the chemical.

Dorothea looked at Stathis, before stepping in and trying to stab it. A clawed foot kicked out, knocking her backwards. She stumbled away, red blossoming down her dress, as she tossed the blade at Stathis.

She caught it out of the air, the grip hard against her hand without any padding on. She sliced it through the air, the blade perfectly balanced. It caught the sunlight, shining brightly as she stabbed forward, with enough force to chip a claw.

Stathis ducked beneath another strike, managing to stand her ground as a wing buffeted at her, the leathery flap sending dust and grit through the air, stinging her eyes. ‘Dorothea!’

‘I’m still standing! Just.’

Stathis sliced back, the wyvern smart enough to dodge the blow, although on the ground it was slow and ungainly, only just able to keep balance. Dorothea didn’t look too good, with a lot of blood staining her dress, her movements slow. Before it could attack her again, Stathis tried to draw its attention, landing a blow on the long neck. This managed to slice some of the dull black scales off, drawing blood from it.

It reared up to its full height, head looking down at Stathis, tail raised high to stab. Before it could move again, Stathis stepped in close, managing another slice at a wing, cutting through the leathery flap. It backed away, trying to get enough space to stab at her with the tail, its own body suddenly in the way, giving Stathis the chance to stab it. The belly-scales weren’t as tough as those on the back, and she was able to cut into the thick muscles of the body.

The light from above was blocked as the head snapped down, and she had to throw herself forward to avoid getting her head bitten off. Flecks of acidic spittle fell onto her, hissing into her shoulders and making her wince in pain. She attacked again, shifting her grip to two-handed, the light on the sword getting brighter as she slammed it forward, sinking it deeply into the wyvern and then slicing upwards.

She just barely had time to step backwards as a spray of viscera and blood poured out. It screeched, then kicked at her with a foot, a claw catching her side and slashing her own skin painfully. But it was in pain itself, and off-balance, Stathis taking the chance to stab at the other foot and slice at a tendon. It screeched again, the tail whipping around from the side, the angle meaning that it couldn’t put much force behind the attack, but it was still enough to force Stathis away.

It was starting to slow now, blood gushing out from the gut-wound, hunching over to try and protect itself. Yellow eyes stared at her, blinking and moving backwards when she sliced at them, the tail-stinger thrusting at her. She rolled to the side, coming up to her feet and feeling her wound stretching and starting to throb. There was no time to check it though, as she attacked again, more scales falling to the ground.

Dorothea staggered forward and sliced at another wing, slicing through the membranes. The wyvern’s movements were slowing now, giving Stathis more and more chances to attack it without fear of counterattacks, opening up more and more wounds on the body. It fell to the floor in a twitching coil of scales, tail whipping about, wings flapping but unable to lift it.

Stathis grabbed Dorothea and pulled her backwards, throwing her over and shoulder and wincing at her own wounds. She jumped into a small gully and ducked, the tail whipping over her head before she submerged Dorothea into the water, in case there was any acid in her wounds. Dorothea gasped, although Stathis couldn’t tell if that was from pain or from the shock of the cold water.

The writhing above them started to fade, the wyvern’s screeches become pitiful, before finally going silent. Stathis waited a few breaths longer, before sticking her head up, ready to duck in case it attacked again. The creature was twisted around itself, wings splayed loosely over its body, still and unmoving, surrounded by a slick of its own blood.

Stathis went and poked it with her sword, before stabbing into the neck and beginning to saw through the thick muscle and bone, making sure it was dead. Dorothea joined her, although her steps were slow and uneven, her face pale.

‘Did you just kill a dragon to save me?’

‘Wyvern – no forearms, and it’s an animal, it can’t talk or use magic.’

Dorothea wrapped her arms around Stathis in a sudden hug, before hissing in pain. ‘You really are a knight, slaying a dragon! Although a bit less shiny than in most stories.’ Despite her pain, her eyes were bright, Stathis just barely managing to move her head back to avoid a kiss.

‘Not a dragon. Also, I think you’re delirious from the wound.’ She hugged Dorothea back, checking that she wasn’t feverish or in shock, trying to keep her calm.

She was interrupted by a dry clapping, hands slapping together. With Dorothea still held in her arms, Stathis turned towards the source of the sound, another of the cave entrances. A nobleman was there, dressed in finery and annoyingly ornamental armour, clapping his gloved hands together, with several crossbowmen behind him, their weapons pointed forward.

‘Congratulations, Lady Stathis. You do live up to the expectations of your family. Such a shame that your youthful might was insufficient to defeat the beast and survive.’

Stathis shifted around so that Dorothea was behind her, trying to shield her from the crossbows as much as possible. They were far enough away that a charge would end badly, and uphill to boot.

‘With the heir gone, then I’m sure there will be openings for those with suitable ambition.’ He smiled at them, his waxed moustache gleaming in the sunlight.

‘I don’t think you’re going to get far. You need actual skill for that. The only reason you’re still a Duke is because you’re so spineless that you don’t get in the way of anybody.’

He glared at her, or at least tried to, without the stature or presence to really make it effective.

‘This won’t end well for you.’

He sniffed at her, before gesturing at a robed figure next to him. ‘Ambrosius, collapse the tunnel.’

The figure started to incant, mystical sounds peeling off their lips, lights playing around them. The walls shook for a moment, before stone cracked, rocks and rubble falling down and sealing the entrance they had come in from. With the crossbows still pointed at them, Stathis stayed where she was as they retreated from sight, the other exit crumbling shut, sealed behind heavy rubble and rocks.

Stathis rolled her eyes. ‘You going to be OK if I carry you?’

‘Getting saved by a knight and an angel? Must be my lucky day!’

‘I could leave you behind.’

Dorothea stuck her tongue out and smiled, then winced in pain, holding a hand against her side. Blood was still oozing out. Stathis laid a hand on the wound and closed her eyes, trying to find the inner peace. Warmth focused around her hand, and she felt a spark transmit itself into Dorothea, the pulse of blood lessening.

‘Convenient!’

The wound was still there, but was lessened now, still oozing blood but looking less painful and sore.

‘Yeah, I can apparently do that now. Makes it easier to cover up any scrapes I get! Anyway, it’s still daylight, so we can get back without drawing attention, hopefully.’

Stathis turned around and offered her back to Dorothea, who climbed on, wrapping her arms loosely around Stathis’ neck, as Stathis put her hands beneath Dorothea’s backside. Then she called up her wings, light flickering around her before she jumped, wincing at the pain in her leg, and then she was airborne.

It was easy enough to fly out of the pit, and it gave Stathis a good luck at the surrounding area – it was one of many dips in the rocky area, likely all connected by tunnels and passages. The meadow they had started in was only a short distance away, at least by air travel, but she circled around and flew low, not wanting to be spotted.

Dorothea clung on tightly, but without squeezing her neck. ‘This is definitely the best way to travel!’

‘Don’t get too used to it. If you want to fly, get a magical item rather than using me!’

Dorothea just held on, resting her head between Stathis’ shoulder blades. ‘Mmm, I prefer this. It’s a lot nicer having my own angel-knight ferrying me around. Especially one that can heal me.’

‘Well, don’t get too comfortable, you can’t stay there. I’m not flying into the camp, I’ll drop down somewhere out of sight. And you need to get that wound looked at when we get back, I don’t want it getting infected or anything. We’ll have to get Duke Molinbra dealt with as well, I guess.’

Dorothea sighed. ‘Hmmm, treason. That’s going to be a fun one. Although makes a convenient pretext to get rid of him, he’s a rubbish leader. But that’s not our problem. Wonder what’ll happen to him?’

‘Depends on how stroppy he gets. If he goes quietly, exile from his lands. Otherwise, imprisonment, maybe death. Stupid bastard!’

‘I thought you’d be angrier?’

‘It’s just so stupid! He’s not even good at ruling his own lands, and he’s scheming and whining to try and get more power, that he can’t do anything decent or worthwhile with. That’s the sort of person I don’t ever want to be – all that time politicking and scheming, rather than doing anything useful! Uh, no offence.’

Dorothea’s voice was quiet and slow, her weight pressed closely against Stathis. ‘None taken. You can be the shiny front, and I’ll do whatever I need to behind the scenes.’